Category: satellite installation

Owners of a satellite dish whether it’s for Sky or Freesat will sometimes notice during heavy rain that their TV picture may break up or be lost altogether. They are left with a message on the screen reading ‘no signal’ . This can be a normal result from heavy rain. It can happen during really bad weather and is just a result of too much rain or snow getting in the way of the signal and causing a temporary loss of signal. This is nothing to be alarmed about because as soon as the heavy rain or snow has passed, the signal will return as good as normal. However, if there is a loss of signal during mild rainy conditions, then this will not be just a result of the weather, but will indicate there is an underlying problem with the satellite system.

It is important to try to rectify this fault sooner rather than later because it is probably not going to get any better and if anything will get progressively worse. This type of fault points to a few different possible reasons;

There is water in either the LNB, the cable or both

The satellite dish has been knocked off alignment slightly and is not getting the full signal

There is something blocking the signal path such as a tree or bush that has started to infringe infront of the satellite dish

To be able to check for sure whether is is one of the 3 possible problems a meter is required, but as well it is worth simply observing if there is anything obvious blocking or partially blocking the signal to the dish. For instance during the early spring months there are plenty of call outs to aerial fitters and satellite engineers because of a loss in signal to peoples dishes. This is usually because in spring it is a time for treesa dn bushes to havd a growth spurt and its not unheard of for trees to put on an extra few feet in a matter of weeks. The same is similar with bushes and any other foliage.

To check if the dish is out of alignment a meter of some kind is usually needed unless the dish is pointing in the opposite direction to where it was , in this case it is obvious. Usually after storms or if it has been knocked by the windowcleaners ladders the dish will need re aligning and this normally calls for a professional. If there is water in the LNB or cable, it will show itself when it is wet. In very wet or damp conditions the signal will be lost, but after a spell of warm or dry weather the signal will return and there will show no problems. In this case it is wise the change the LNB and cable for what its worth, again, it is usually done by a satellite engineer or aerial fitter.